The Desired Effect
by DobbyRocksSocks
Summary: It was Hogwarts, but at the same time, it really wasn't. Harry didn't know what he'd gotten himself into this time, but he hoped he could get himself out of it quickly.


**Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise. **

**Other Challenges listed at the bottom. **

_Written for; Hogwarts Assignment 6 - Mundane Literature, 11. Write about someone being trapped inside something. _

**Word Count** \- 1612

_Beta'd by Amber. _

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**The Desired Effect **

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"Dinner?" Harry offered, looking over his shoulder at Kingsley, who was loitering in the doorway. He was just finishing up for the day, but unfortunately, Kingsley shook his head.

"No can do, I'm afraid. I've got a dinner meeting with Cornelius Fudge… though you're welcome to come as my guest, if you'd like?"

Harry snorted. "If I wanted to listen to an asshole, I'd fart."

Laughing, Kingsley shook his head. "You're a menace. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Hmm, I'll be here. I'll fetch you some cake up at lunch, kay?"

"You really shouldn't indulge my sweet tooth so often; you're going to make me fat. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh huh. Any requests?"

Kingsley shook his head. "I'm sure I'll devour whatever you bring."

Harry turned to watch Kingsley walk away and sighed to himself. Ah well, he'd just pick a takeaway up on his way home, and eat with Merlin, the mischievous black kitten Kingsley had gifted him for his birthday.

And of course, he had a cake to bake.

The evening wouldn't be a complete loss.

…

Harry delivered the cake the following day, slumping in his usual chair in front of Kingsley's ornate desk. Kingsley wasn't there, but his receptionist had told Harry he wouldn't be long, so Harry figured he could wait a while.

It wasn't like he had any pressing plans for lunch, since he spent almost all of his lunches there anyway.

Glancing over the desk, Harry frowned when he saw a snowglobe he'd never seen before placed haphazardly on the corner of the desk.

He picked it up, shaking it idly in one hand. He was about to place it back on the desk when he felt a jolt in his stomach and then suddenly, he felt like he was flying, and falling and flying some more.

What the hell!?

He landed with a hand bang, a pained yelp leaving his lips. It was freezing, and there was already a thin layer of white coating his red Auror robes. He was confused by the snow—it hadn't been snowing, and he knew for a fact that they weren't _forecast _snow.

Looking around, he realised he was outside Hogwarts, but that made little sense since it wasn't possible to Apparate onto the grounds. Pushing himself to his feet, Harry let his wand slide from it's holster into his hand and walked cautiously up to the castle doors, the snow crunchy beneath his feet.

He pushed open the doors and stepped inside, frowning as he took in the baron walls. This couldn't be Hogwarts, because there were no portraits on the walls, and the staircases were frozen in place.

Unable to shake the feeling that this was a trap of some sort, Harry walked through the corridors uneasily, his heart pounding in his chest. It _was _Hogwarts, at least, it was the bare bones of the castle Harry had grown up in, but it was… stripped bare.

There was no magic in the walls, and the silence was particularly eerie.

Even in the summer months, when Harry visited the school, it was never silent.

Eventually, Harry made his way up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Except… there was no red and gold. Everything was _beige. _The curtains, the bedding, the cushions; it had all been completely stripped of it's personality.

Harry pushed his glasses up his nose and peered out of the window. The snow seemed to have stopped falling, and the ground was covered in white. His footprints up to the castle were long gone.

Wondering what to do next, Harry barely managed to grab hold of one of the bedposts when the floor suddenly shifted beneath him. It was like an earthquake, but a thousand times worse. It felt like someone had picked the castle up and—

Holy shit.

Using the walls as support, Harry raced through the castle, until he was back at the main doors. He hadn't travelled to Hogwarts, because it _was _impossible.

The ground beneath Harry settled as Kingsley placed the snowglobe back on his desk, and Harry watched him through the slightly distorting glass.

"Kingsley," he shouted, hoping it would draw the man's attention. When it didn't, Harry tried again, and again, and again, until he was screaming his friend's name.

Eventually, he slumped back against the door, exhausted and his throat hurting.

What the hell was he going to do?

…

Harry curled up beneath the blankets, watching the activity in Kingsley's office. He was sitting in the doorway of the castle, under a pile of blankets, cushions piled underneath and behind him. He wanted to stay warm, and the snow surrounding him wasn't just there for effect—it was freezing inside the globe.

Sitting outside was his best hope of being seen though.

He was hopeful that Kingsley would look at the snowglobe more closely, and that he'd be able to get his attention, but the hope was fading with every day that he spent trapped. It had already been three days.

There was a search happening. Of that, Harry was positive. Kingsley had lost his temper and shouted at no less than four people already that morning. The sound barrier only went one way, and Harry could hear the sounds from the office.

At least he had food and water. Whoever had spelled the snowglobe hadn't intended for a quick death for whoever was trapped here. The kitchen was functional and stocked.

Unfortunately, it was the only thing that was stocked. Harry, in a fit of boredom, had gone to the library shortly after waking from an unrestful sleep. He'd hoped for the books there to give him some inspiration on how to get _out _of the snowglobe, but the bookcases were bare.

He'd kicked one of them in frustration, but all that had done was left him with an aching foot.

Whatever kind of purgatory this was intended as, it was certainly having the desired effect. Harry was already going mad and it had only been a few days.

After leaving the library, he'd returned to his post by the doors and hunkered down. He had a feeling he was in for a long wait.

…

"_Bombarda," _Harry shouted, aiming his wand at the glass. He was six days into being stuck, and he _needed _to get out.

Even if it didn't smash the glass, he was hoping that Kingsley would see the lights from the spells. He hadn't wanted to test it before in case it broke whatever enchantments were on the snowglobe, but he was fast running out of ideas, and the thought of staying inside the thing indefinitely was too grim to contemplate.

"_Bombarda maxima!" _

"_Diffindo!" _

"_Bombarda!" _

He threw spell after spell at the glass, having no effect but hoping that Kingsley would—

The ground moved beneath him, and he slammed into the wall of the castle painfully. Kingsley was holding the snowglobe up, his face even more distorted than usual through the glass.

"Bombarda," Harry shouted, panicked at the thought of losing his chance. "_Lumos! Lumos Maxima!_ Come on, Kingsley!"

The snowglobe was put back down, but Kingsley was still there, hovering over it.

And then, the glass was cracking, and it was shattering, and Harry covered his head with his arms to protect himself but it mattered none because he was flying and he was falling again.

And then he was clutched in Kingsley's arms, with the older man asking frantic questions about what had happened and if he was okay.

Harry looked up at him, tired but alive and safe, and _home. _

"I'm fine. I'm fine, you saved me."

…

Curled up on his own sofa, in his own dressing gown, with Merlin sprawled on his lap and a fire crackling merrily in the grate, Harry listened as Kingsley explained that the Aurors had caught Fudge in his home, mid way through packing.

He'd been attempting to leave the country, but undoubtedly couldn't bear to leave his bowler hats behind.

"So, he's in a Ministry holding cell. He'll be tried in front of the Wizengamot, as soon as next week."

"Well, at least there's a silver lining, I guess," Harry said, shrugging. "Not gonna lie, I'm glad to be out of that bloody ball. I still don't understand the point of the whole thing."

"He wanted rid of me, I suppose. I think he thought that if I was out of the way, he'd be able to worm his way back into office." Kingsley grimaced. "I'm sorry it took me so long to—"

"Don't _you _apologise—again—you didn't spell it to trap me inside. You can't blame yourself for the crazies, Kingsley, it'll drive you mad."

"I know," Kingsley said, nodded. "I do know that. I just… hate that you were stuck in there alone."

"It sucked, but I'm out now, so it's… I've been through worse. We all have. Let's just count this one as a win, okay?"

Kingsley looked at him for a long moment before he nodded. "Okay. Dinner tomorrow? I'll pick you up when I'm done at the Ministry?"

"I'm coming into work tomorrow, Kingsley," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. "There's nothing wrong—"

"You're taking the day off—"

"I'm not taking—"

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Harry sighed and shook his head. He had a feeling they were going to be there a while. Unbeknownst to Kingsley, there were candy canes in the cupboard, and Harry wasn't above bribery.

The steely glint in Kingsley's eyes told him that this was going to be fun; and fighting with his friend was pushing the cold away even better than the heat from the fire.

It was good to be home.

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**Also Written for:**

Assorted Appreciation - 18. "Any requests?"

Showtime - 17. Harry Potter

Press Play - 2. Glasses

Liza Loves - 28. Inspiration

Scamander's Case - 1. Screaming

Film Festival - 20. Screaming

Funfair - Apple Picking - Tree 4, Prompt 3. Kingsley Shacklebolt

Build A Horror - Dialogue, 7. "If I wanted to listen to an asshole, I'd fart."

Monster Mash - Head, 2. Medusa's Snakes - Eerie

Galleon - Only Male Characters

Zodiac - Scorpio - Red

Fortnightly - Trick or Treat - Treat; Harry Potter Character - Write about your fave Potter character.

Fortnightly - Masque - Woven Lace, 1. Exhausted

Pumpkin - Small Pumpkin - 11. Red

Sticker Book - Halloween Set 1 - 3. Candy - Someone with a sweet tooth

Days of the Year - 86. Look on the bright side day - "At least there's a silver lining."

Autumn - 10. Crunchy

Colour - 8. Beige

Air - 1. Flying

Bake a Cake - Sugar - Candy Cane

Ravenclaw - Other - Bookcase

Religious Events/holidays - 24. All Souls Day - Purgatory

History - 10. Someone wanting to stay warm.

365\. 292. Castle


End file.
